Loyalist calls for PSNI to use force to enable Orange walk on Garvaghy Road

Senior loyalist Jamie Bryson has urged the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to use “proportionate force” to allow an Orange Order parade to proceed down Garvaghy Road in Portadown, County Armagh.

The parade, approved by the Parades Commission for 35 men at 8 am on a Sunday, was blocked by thousands of local residents and nationalists, including First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams.

Bryson, an advisor to the Portadown District Orange Lodge, said the law must be upheld and that the police should remove those gathered on the road. He criticised Assistant Chief Constable Henderson and the PSNI’s “gold command” for failing to prevent the blockage.

After the march was halted, O’Neill described the outcome as a “victory” for the community’s right to live free from sectarian harassment. DUP leader Gavin Robinson responded by accusing her of breaking the law and her pledge of office. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Bryant said a few ideas are being considered but admitted no solution has yet been found.

Source: Newstalk. Photo: Charles Criscuolo / Pexels.